Who are you?
What are you?
Who are you trying to talk to?
What are you trying to say?

Now apply them to your business.
(without using one word – ‘everyone’)

If you don’t share wisdom you can’t teach.
If you don’t teach you can’t grow.
If you don’t grow you stand still.
If you stand still you eventually die.

Some people behave like rampant squirrels.

They sit on a tree – suspicious, alert.
They watch, they wait.

A tasty morsel rolls their way.
They watch, they wait – they leap.

As fast as fast can be they scarper down, grab, jump and hide.
When the racing pulse settles, they watch and wait.
Slowly, they devour the little nugget.
Slowly they build more defenses.
Slowly the walls get higher.

Thing is, their smash, grab and wall building energy becomes their coffin.
After awhile, the wall is so big, so solid, so strong that they can’t get out.

Wisdom is for sharing.
Avoid smash and grab and squirrels with beady, greedy eyes.

Simple is good.
Often less is more.

The more we complicate the simple the more we lose our audience.

At a recent Workshop we were defining the difference between ‘vision’ and ‘mission’.

This is what popped out.
Take it – it works.

“Vision describes the place you want to get to. Mission describes the journey necessary to get there.”

Next time, avoid making simple things complex.

So you want to sell more?
Running out of ideas?
Those old leaflet drops that seemed such a good idea simply not working?
Phone quiet?
Morale low?

If you want to sell more behave like a buyer.
If you want to sell less, behave like a salesman.

If you want me to understand your product, involve me.

After all, it’s hard to get excited by food reading it in print.
On the other hand, if I taste your food, I might just join the Q.

The trick is to involve me in the experience.
If you do that, you will change people’s thinking.

They will move from “I hear you”
To
“I understand”

Try it.

It’s that dreadful “I’m new” feeling.
You are watching, waiting and trying to fit in.

New people come by in an overwhelming kind of way.
“Hi, I’m Joe, welcome.”
“Morning, I’m Barbara, if I can help, just shout.”
“You must be the new Guy? I’m Bob.”
On it goes.

After some time you realize the packaging didn’t quite match the inside.
The offer of help turned out to be from a well disguised agitator.
The cheerful smile is the most miserable doomsdayer.
The quiet one turns out to be the real friend.

Courage comes and it’s time to voice an opinion.
Bullets and missiles everywhere.

“Young Man, that’s not the way we do things here.”

The choice is stark. Stay or Go.
The old guard will resist.
The middle will dither.
The dynamos will say yes.

How you react will define you.
What’s more, it will define your future path.

Speaking of paths.
New paths will never be created by rehashing old routes.
Sometimes toes need to be trod on.

Think before you suggest.
Think positively.
Fear not.

Remember how new paths get built.
Then do it anyway.

I may not have said it, I may have thought it.
Perhaps you too?

In reality, we rarely interact with ‘The Company’.
We often interact with ‘The People’.

It’s straightforward enough to create a great brand.
Not so easy to deliver it.

How are your people representing you?
Do they know your brand?
Really? It’s history, values, story, personality?

If you don’t know, maybe you should find out.
After all, when someone says
“I can’t stand your brand.”
Do they really mean the company?
Or, do they mean the person that represented you?

A senior citizen drove his brand new BMW Z4 convertible out of the car salesroom. Taking
off down the motorway, he floored it to 160kmh, enjoying the wind blowing through what
little hair he had left.

“Amazing!” he thought as he flew down the N1, enjoying pushing the pedal to the metal even
more. Looking in his rear view mirror, he saw a police car behind him, blue lights flashing
and siren blaring.

“I can get away from him – no problem!” thought the elderly nutcase as he floored it to 180kmh,
then 220 then 240kmh. Suddenly, he thought, “What on earth am I doing? I’m too old for this
nonsense!” So he pulled over to the side of the road and waited for the police car to catch
up with him.

Pulling in behind him, the police officer walked up the driver’s side of the BMW, looked at
his watch and said, “Sir, my shift ends in 10 minutes. Today is Friday and I’m taking off
for the weekend. If you can give me a reason why you were speeding that I’ve never heard
before, I’ll let you go.”

The man, looked very seriously at the policeman, and replied, “Years ago, my wife ran off
with a policeman. I thought you were bringing her back.”

“Have a good day, Sir”, said the policeman.

The long slippery slide into the deep dark murky valley has been hugely testing.
We were ill equipped.
Assuming we have hit the bottom, we are all a little numb, confused and dizzy.
But, there is a time to get up and a time to march on.
But beware!

Every day I meet people who tell me about the next ‘boom’.
I’m impressed at their crystal gazing rose tinted lenses.
I’m impressed at their certainty.
I’m impressed by their confidence.

You see, I don’t necessarily agree.

A bust often follows a boom.
It does not follow that a boom will follow a bust.

This may just be the new norm, the cleansing of a greedy past.
This may be our new future.
This may be how it will be.

Think about it.
If you have suddenly discovered your favourite wine elsewhere at half the price.
If you discovered you can clean your own car.
If you know it’s not bad doing your own ironing
If you can now mow your own lawn.
And, if you can buy your favourite treat cheaper than before.
I have one question for you;

“Who says this bust will be followed by a boom?”

On second thoughts, a second (perhaps better) question;

“Have you a plan to cope with the present being the new future?”

It’s easy to be charming in a boom.
It’s a little dangerous in a recession.
Unless of course you back it up.

In a boom, money can be thrown at many problems.
When it’s plentiful most will afford to let some go to waste.

In a recession, nobody can afford waste but they can use charm.

Charm without substance is a dangerous trap.
Charm as a smokescreen is even worse.

The moral?
In a recession, never believe charm alone.
Enjoy the charm but write the contract.

Those that will are sincere and the charm is true.
Those that won’t
Well, you judge, you choose.

A business is defined by its customers.
A little like your friends, they reflect who you are.

A recession changes the Status Quo.
It also changes how people react.
Those reactions might leave scars.

Any business must know who it is targeting.
If the answer is “Everybody” prepare the lifeboats.

Just as you are not for ‘everybody’ so too your business.

If you have a precious product, limit its exposure (otherwise it’s not precious).
If you add value, don’t divide it equally to all the world.
If you are unique, find customers who value unique.

If you say ‘Yes’ to everyone they will eventually say ‘No’ to you.
If you are good at what you do, match that to likeminded customers.

If you work with angry, cheap, bitter customers, how long before it shows?
When it shows, how long before good guys say ‘No’?

You have changed.
Your market has changed.
You have a choice.
Be careful who you choose.

Depending on your selection, I’m with you or I’m not.